Packing



May 2s, 1929. F, E, PAYNE @14,725

' PACKING Filed DBC. 29, 1927 Patented MayA 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES FRANK E. PAYNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PACKING.

Application filed December 29, 1927. Serial No. 243,279.

My invention relates to improvements in packing, more particularly metallic packing used in condensers, evaporators, and the like, where the equipment may operate at fairly high temperatures or Where the packing may be subjected to the action of liquids containing corrosive materials such as acid.

rEhe object of the invention is to provide an improved packing and method of making the same whereby the packing may' be effective for long periods of time, even though subjected to fairly high or variable temperatures or to liquids containing corrosive substances or to both as in the case of a steam surface condenser for example.

In carrying out my invention I apply to sheet metal such as lead foil, babbitt or the like in the form of sheets or strips, av coating of resistantv varnish, preferably a flexible phenolic-aldehyde condensation product or similar material having a base of synthetic resin-forming material capable when finally reacted of protecting the metal from the ef- -feet of acid and also. capable of being flexed so that it will adhere to the metal indefinitely and not crack off when the metal 'is bent or deformed.

The metal so coated is adapted for various uses. In the present application I have emphasized the vadvantages resulting from forming it into a ring or into a continuous length of packing by any one of a number of suitable methods, such as by rolling a long narrow strip of it onto itself in the form of a spiral to provide a ring, and afterwards pressing the same in a die; or the packing may be formed by helically winding a narrow strip of coated metal tape on a rotating cord and thereafter running the product through rollers to produce a rectangular cross section or sheets or strips of coated metal may be crinkled to interlock it for the purpose of forminga flexible packing, or the .metal may be otherwise deformed.

Another use for the coated sheets would bc to provide a helical wrapping on telephone cables orother cables where flexibility is essential. in addition to protection against deleterious action.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one of the several methods referred to for forming exible metallic packing, adapted particularly for use with steam surface condensers. p

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating suitable apparatus for coating. baking and winding a strip of metal foil to form a flexible packing ring.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a suitable die for compressing the ring.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ring cut open to show the internal construction.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional elevation through the end of a condenser tube and the adj acent tube sheet showing a typical packing installation.

Referring to Fig. 1, one or more spools or reels of metal'foil 10 are shown rotatably mounted on a suitable support 11. The metal foil may be lead foil, Babbitt foil, or copper or aluminum, and in some cases coated with tin in advance.

containing a bath or liquid 13, such for example as the reactive flexible Bakelite varnish, known commercially as BV 1413, made under the Byck Patent No. 1,590,079, or other suitable coating having the desired characteristic properties.

The strip passes under a suitable roller 14 a suitable vent 21 may be provided above the OVER.

l Each strip of foil is fed vfrom the supply reel through a receptacle 12 The foil on leaving the oven passes through a guide 22 and is supported by said guide at one end and by the roller 15 atthe other end', both outside of the oven, being unsupported within the oren. The temperature of the oven and the speed at which the foil is passed through it may vary under .different conditions, depending on the character of the coating and the particular type of service for which the packing is intended. For a condenser packing and with the particular Bakelite varnish BV 1413, thinned with a solvent of 50% benzol and 50% alcohol, a temperature of 550o F. to 600 F. is very satisfactory in conjunction with a speed of to feet per minute for the foil. v l

yAfter passing beyond the guide 22, the foil with the protective coating baked on it is wound ony a suitable reel 23 driven by a gear Y and pinion 24 and 25, the latter being rotated Y on the spool 23, it is pressed down against the latter by a rotatable wheel carried by a pivoted arm 31.' Said wheel is of substantial weight and rolls the foil down in smooth lay-ers.

vThese finished rolls are thereafter unwound as the foil is being fed into the machine for forming the packing, in case it is so used. It is therefore necessary that the reel of foilbe unwound without sticking or tearing and the process and apparatus described are so-regulate'd and designed as-to obviate this difficulty.

After the coated metal foil is reacted as by baking, it becomes stabilized and is therefore finally reacted, in the illustration selected, and is wound on a suitable mandrel to form a helical ring of predetermined div ameter, width and thickness. The ring thus formed, is hereafter pressed in a die/S as shown in Fig. 2, during which operation the substantlally concentric layers of y.fthin `sheet metal fold themselves back and forth to form, in cross section, wavy lines or interfitting accordion pleated layers, the four outer surfaces of the ring, however, being smooth and compact. The finished ring, if subjected to side compression, i. e. in a direction parallel to its central axis, tends to expand radially inward and outward. Where such a ring 1s used for packing the ends of condenser tubes as in Fig.v 4 for example, one or more of said rings are slipped over the end of the condenser tube 34 and caulked by special tools and may thereafterbe further compressed by a ferrule 35 of the usual form, if desired, although the ferrule may be dispensed withl, Additional intervening fibre washers 36 may be employed as expansion rings. The opening in which the ferrule is received is screw threaded and the metallic `rings. are compressed by a caulking tool which upsets these metallic rings, outwardly and inwardly, completely filling the threads and pressing' against the condenser t-ube with an evenly istributed pressure, resulting in the establishment of a water tight and air tight joint which, however, permits the tube to move back and forth longitudinally a slight distance under temperature variations, without breaking the seal..

In many condenser installations the cool- 1 ing water which Hows through the tubes is contaminated,.as it is usually taken from rivers or from the ocean where the plant is located on tide wateim Considerable difiiculty has been encountered heretofore due to disintegration of the tubes and deterioration of the packing itself, caused byexposure to air and to the eect of the air in the water, as well as agitation and turbulence.

rllhe metal of which the packing is formed is very thin and oxidizes when not protected, resulting in holes forming in the metal, in the course of time..

Metallic packing formed by the method described herein is protected against deteri oration due toacid in the Water, saltsor other contaminating substances. For example, cut edges of tin coated lead foil present a galvanic couple to electrolytes in solution, and the coating of varnish insulatesthis couple from the electrolyte. This coating is even more flexible thantin coated lead foil itself and is not'broken mechanically without also breaking the foil. It is of such character that itis not damaged during the compression of the ring within the die. The metallic packing is not affected by the heat due to the presence of the exhaust steam which surrounds the condenser tubes.

Not only must the coated strip be capable of being rolled up and unrolled without sticking or tearing, but also it must not stick to the condenser tube after it has been installed. After the coating has been finally reacted, under proper conditions, it is not sticky.

It will be understood that the baking operation may be carried on in two installments under some conditions, the first baking tak, ing place in the oven and the second baking being applied to the packing ring.

r1`he packing referred to, as far yas the me- 115 chanical features are concerned, is described more fully in Walton Patent 1,543,963 is-1 sued June 30, 1925, to Crane Packing Company and the machine for making it is described in Cody Patents No. 1,642,431 issued September 13, 1927, and No. 1,646,992 issued October 25, 1927 What 1 claim is:

1. A metallic packing comprising a mechanically deformed metallic foil having a coating of a finally reacted synthetic resin of a iexibilityat least equal to the flexibility ofthe foil.

2. A metallic packing comprising a mechanically deformed and compressed metallas lic foil having a coating of a finally reacted layers of mechanically deformed metal foil 10 synthetic resin of a flexibility at least equal each layer of which is covered with a coating to the liexibility of the metal foil. of a finally reacted synthetic resin having a 3. A metallic packing comprising a meflexibility at least equal to the flexibility of 5 chanically deformed metal foil and a synthe foil.

thetic resin having a flexibility at least equal In testimony whereof, I -have subscribed to the flexibility of the metal foil. my name. y

4. A packing comprising a plurality of FRANK E. PAYNE. 

